Simultaneous HPLC determination of 5-fluorouracil and its metabolites in plasma of cancer patients

5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) is a commonly used anticancer agent for treatment of solid tumours. Certain studies have reported conflicting results between individual plasma concentration levels and toxicity or therapeutic effects. For this reasons some authors proposed to evaluate the plasma levels of 5-Fu metabolites 5-fluorouridine, 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydro-uracil. The aim of the present work is to develop and validate a new HPLC method simultaneously determining 5-fluorouracil and its three metabolites, to be used to study the plasma levels, therapeutic effects and toxicity in cancer patients. The analytes were separated on a 4.6 x 250 mm ODS1 (5 micro m) not end-capped column, operating at room temperature. Elution was performed under isocratic conditions, employing a 1.5 mM K(3)PO(4) mobile phase (pH 5). 5-Bromo-5,6-dihydro-uracil was used as internal standard. The limits of quantitation were 0.5 micro g/mL for 5-fluorouracil, 1 micro g/mL for 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydro-uracil, 3 micro g/mL for 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine and 5-fluorouridine; the stability, recovery, linearity, accuracy and specificity of the compounds were evaluated according to the criteria widely accepted. Using this method we measured plasma samples of 18 cancer patients treated with folinic acid (100 mg/m(2)) by intravenous administration, followed by an i.v. bolus of 5-Fu (400 mg/m(2)). The concentration levels of 5-fluorouracil and for 5-fluoro-5,6-dihydro-uracil were detectable in all the subjects while 5-fluorouridine and 5-fluoro-2'-deoxyuridine were present only in eight patients.     

Simultaneous determination of antiepileptic drugs and their two active metabolites by HPLC

An HPLC procedure for the determination of lamotrigine (LAM) simultaneously with other antiepileptic drugs, primidone (PD), phenobarbital (PB), phenytoin (DPH), carbamazepine (CMZ), and two active metabolites 2-phenyl-2-ethyl-malonamide (PEMA) and 10,11-dihydro-10,11-epoxycarbamazepine (EPO) was developed and validated. The method involves an ordinary RP system and a liquid-liquid extraction. The mobile phase consisting of water/ACN/methanol/triethylamine in the ratio 72:23:5:0.1 with pH 7.0 was selected as the best one after the assays testing both pH and triethylamine contents. UV detection was carried out at a wavelength of 220 nm and the whole analysis took 15 min. The method was linear in the range of 0.5-25 mg/L for PEMA and LAM; 1.25-25 mg/L for PD and CMZ; 0.625-12.5 mg/L for EPO; 1.5-60 mg/L for PB; and 1.25-50 mg/L for DPH, respectively. Within-day CV% and between-day CV% were within 10%. The developed HPLC method can be used for routine therapeutic drug monitoring both in children and adults.     

Simultaneous HPLC determination of 14 tricyclic antidepressants and metabolites in human plasma

A HPLC method has been developed for the simultaneous determination of seven tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and seven metabolites in human plasma. The analyte separation was obtained using a C8 reversed phase column and a mobile phase composed of 68% aqueous phosphate buffer at pH 3.0 and 32% ACN. The UV detector was set at 220 nm and loxapine was used as the internal standard. A careful pre‐treatment procedure for plasma samples was developed, using SPE on C2 cartridges, which gives satisfactory extraction yields (>80%) and good sample purification. The LOQs were always lower than 9.1 ng/mL and the LODs always lower than 3.1 ng/mL for all analytes. The method was successfully applied to plasma samples from depressed patients undergoing therapy with one or more TCA drugs. Precision data (RSD <8.1%), as well as accuracy results (recovery >80%), were satisfactory and no interference from other drugs was found. Hence the method seems to be suitable for the therapeutic drug monitoring of patients treated with TCAs under monotherapy or polypharmacy regimens.     

Simultaneous determination of lidocaine and its metabolites in plasma and myocardium

No validated method exists for measuring lidocaine and its metabolites in myocardial tissue. We modified a previously described high-performance liquid chromatographic assay and applied it to plasma and to homogenized myocardial samples obtained from dogs that had received lidocaine by a double-infusion technique. Recovery of lidocaine, monoethylglycylxylidide and glycylxylidide after homogenization and extraction is reported. Assay variability, sensitivity and linearity over a wide range of sample sizes are also described. The results obtained with high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis are compared to quantitation of 14C-labeled lidocaine plus metabolites measured by an oxidation-scintillation technique. Myocardium to plasma partition coefficients for lidocaine, monoethylglycylxylidide and glycylxylidide were 2.16, 4.27, and 2.91, respectively.     

Simultaneous determination of metapramine and its demethylated metabolites in plasma by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A capillary column gas chromatography--mass fragmentographic method for metapramine and its three major demethylated metabolites is described. Compounds are extracted from plasma using a double-extraction procedure and transformed into N-trifluoroacetyl derivatives. The detection is performed by monitoring specific ions for metapramine and for its metabolites with a mass detector. In spite of extensive metabolism in the liver and rapid elimination of metapramine, plasma concentrations of both metapramine and its metabolites can be simultaneously followed over 24 h after a single 150-mg oral dose, because of the sensitivity and selectivity of the method. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of samples obtained from patients who were at steady state with metapramine and to a pharmacokinetic study in a healthy volunteer.     

Simultaneous determination of tiopronin and its primary metabolite in plasma and ocular tissues by HPLC

Tiopronin, formally 2‐mercaptopropionylglycine (MPG), is currently prescribed to treat cystinuria and rheumatoid arthritis, and its antioxidant properties have led to its investigation as a treatment for cataracts, a condition in which oxidative stress is strongly implicated. To study its accumulation in the eye, a reliable, isocratic HPLC method was developed for the determination of MPG and its primary metabolite 2‐mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) in plasma and relevant ocular tissues. This method utilizes pre‐column derivatization and fluorescence detection. The 3.5 min separation enables high‐throughput analysis, and validation experiments demonstrated that this method is suitable for evaluating ocular accumulation of MPG and MPA at concentrations as low as 66 and 33 nm , respectively. Excellent linearity was achieved over the working concentration range with R² > 0.997. Extraction recovery was reproducible within each matrix and exceeded 97%. Accuracy was within 13.3% relative error, and intra‐ and inter‐day precisions were within 6% CV and 7% CV, respectively. Sample stability was demonstrated under various storage conditions, and the use of an internal standard conferred exceptional ruggedness. This method has been successfully applied for the determination of MPG and MPA in plasma, cornea, lens and retina following intraperitoneal administration of the drug in Wistar rats.     

Simultaneous determination of geniposide and its metabolites genipin and genipinine in culture of Aspergillus niger by HPLC

When cultivated with Aspergillus niger, geniposide, an important drug, is transformed into genipin and genipinine. A simple and rapid HPLC method for simultaneous determination of geniposide and its two metabolites in broth of A. niger is described. The chromatographic separation was achieved on a C18 ODS column (250 x 4.6 mm) by gradient elution with 0.1% formic acid in water and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile as the gradient mixtures. The flow rate was 1 mL/min, the detection wavelength was 238 nm and the column temperature was kept at 28 degrees C. The retention times of geniposide, genipin and genipinine were 10.9, 13.8 and 21.5 min, respectively. The mean absolute recoveries of three analysts were over 98%. Quantification limits were 0.01 microg/mL for geniposide and 0.02 microg/mL for the two metabolites. The method was applied for the quantification of geniposide, genipin and genipinine during fermentation and the evaluation of the bioavailabilities of these three compounds in Caco-2 monolayer.     

Simultaneous determination of fluzinamide and three of its active metabolites in plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A sensitive and selective high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for a new anticonvulsant, fluzinamide, and three of its active metabolites. This method requires only 0.5 ml of plasma, and it involves a single extraction with a mixture of hexane--dichloromethane--butanol (55:40:5). The plasma extract is chromatographed on a 10-micron, C18 reversed-phase column and quantitated by ultraviolet absorbance at 220 nm. The concentration--response curves for all four compounds are linear from 0.05 micrograms/ml to at least 10 micrograms/ml. The extraction efficiency of this method is greater than 90%. The accuracy and precision of the method were tested by analyzing spiked unknown samples that had been randomly distributed across the concentration range. The mean concentrations found were within +/- 9% of the various amounts added with a standard deviation of +/- 3.5%. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of samples obtained from fluzinamide-dosed dogs, healthy unmedicated volunteers, and patients who were at steady state with phenytoin, carbamazepine, and fluzinamide.     

Simultaneous determination of aceclofenac and three of its metabolites in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

Aceclofenac [[2-(2',6'-dichlorophenyl)amino]phenylacetoxyacetic acid] is a phenylacetic acid derivative with potent analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and an improved gastro-intestinal tolerance. In the present study, a liquid-liquid extraction-based reversed-phase HPLC method with UV detection was validated and applied for the analysis of aceclofenac and three of its metabolites (4'-hydroxy-aceclofenac, diclofenac, 4'-hydroxy-diclofenac) in human plasma. The analytes were separated using an acetonitrile-phosphate buffer gradient at a flow rate of 1 mL/min, and UV detection at 282 nm. The retention times for aceclofenac, diclofenac, 4'-hydroxy-aceclofenac, 4'-hydroxy-diclofenac and ketoprofen (internal standard) were 69.1, 60.9, 46.9, 28.4 and 21.2 min, respectively. The validated quantitation range of the method was 10-10000 ng/mL for aceclofenac, 4'-hydroxy-aceclofenac and diclofenac, and 25-10000 ng/mL for 4'-hydroxy-diclofenac. The developed procedure was applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of aceclofenac and its metabolites following administration of a single 100 mg oral dose of aceclofenac to three healthy male volunteers.     

Simultaneous determination of gastrodin and its metabolite by HPLC

A rapid and specific HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of gastrodin and its metabolite gastrodigenin (p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol) in rat plasma, bile, liver, urine and faeces is described. The separation was achieved by using a reversed phase column (YWG-C18) eluted with methanol-water (2.5:97.5 v/v). Phloroglucinolum was used as internal standard and the peaks were detected at UV 221 nm. The protein precipitation with ethanol was a very simple and rapid method for sample preparation. The gastrodin and gastrodigenin were quantitated by measuring the peak-height ratios. There was a linear concentration range of 10-320 micrograms/mL in the assay for both compounds. The coefficients of variation (within-day) for samples spiked with gastrodin and gastrodigenin were 2.94% and 3.08%, respectively. The method demonstrated a high specificity and was suitable for use in pharmacokinetic studies.     

在线衍生-高效液相色谱法同时测定血浆中的色氨酸及其代谢物

建立了醋酸锌在线衍生高效液相色谱法同时测定血浆中色氨酸(Trp)、犬尿氨酸(Kyn)、5-羟吲哚乙酸(5-Hiaa)和犬尿喹啉酸(Kyna)的方法。以3-硝基酪氨酸为内标(IS),采用Hypersil C-18柱(250 mm×4.0 mm, 5 μ m),以250 mmol/L醋酸锌溶液(pH 5.5)-乙腈(95:5, v/v)为流动相,流速为0.8 mL/min,柱温30℃。荧光检测波长设定:5-Hiaa为278 nm(λ_ex)/343 nm(λ_em), Kyna为244 nm(λ_ex)/400 nm(λ_em);紫外检测波长设定:Kyn和IS为360 nm, Trp为302 nm。4种物质的回收率在91.62%~114.17%之间;线性范围分别为2.50~320.00 μ mol/L(Trp), 0.32~15.36 μ mol/L(Kyn), 3.27~104.60 nmol/L(5-Hiaa), 14.00~464.80 nmol/L(Kyna);检出限分别为0.078 μ mol/L(Trp), 0.056 μ mol/L(Kyn), 0.690 nmol/L(5-Hiaa), 1.290 nmol/L(Kyna)。利用该方法对30例正常孕妇和28例女性健康志愿者的血浆进行测定,结果表明两组间Trp, Kyn和Kyna含量有显著性差异。该方法操作简便,重复性好,灵敏度高,适合于临床检测。     

Simultaneous determination of estramustine phosphate and its four metabolites in human plasma by liquid chromatography-ionspray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective method, using liquid chromatography-ionspray mass spectrometry, was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of Estracyt (estramustine phosphate) and its four metabolites, estramustine, estromustine, estrone and estradiol, in human plasma. Deuterated internal standards were available for all analytes. The five compounds were extracted from plasma by protein precipitation with acetonitrile. The chromatographic separation was performed using a Zorbax SB C18, (150 x 4.6 mm i.d., 5 microm) reversed-phase column under gradient conditions with a mobile phase containing 2 mm ammonium acetate buffer (pH 6.8) and acetonitrile. MS detection was by electrospray ionization with multiple reaction monitoring in the positive ion mode for estramustine phosphate, estromustine and estramustine, and in the negative ion mode for estrone and estradiol. The limit of quantitation was 10 ng/mL for estramustine phosphate, 3 ng/mL for estromustine, estramustine and estrone and 30 ng/mL for estradiol. Linearity was verified from these LLOQs up to about 4000 ng/mL for the parent drug and 2000 ng/mL for the metabolites. Inter-day precision and accuracy values were all less than 15%. This assay was applied successfully to the routine analysis of human plasma samples collected in cancer patients administered estramustine phosphate intravenously.     

Simultaneous determination of caffeine and its primary demethylated metabolites in human plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography.

An improved high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of caffeine and its three primary metabolites (theophylline, theobromine and paraxanthine) in human plasma is described. The four substances were separated on a reversed-phase column (5 microns TSK gel ODS-80TM, 150 mm x 4.6 mm I.D.) by use of the mobile phase methanol-0.1 M NaH2PO4 (30:70, v/v) with a flow-rate of 0.8 ml/min. Absorbance was monitored at 274 nm. The detection limit was 5 ng/ml for theobromine and caffeine and 10 ng/ml for paraxanthine and theophylline. The linearity and reproducibility were sufficient for drug monitoring of caffeine and its primary methylxanthines.     

Simultaneous determination of ZLR-8 and its active metabolite diclofenac in dog plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

ZLR-8 is a nitric oxide releasing derivative of diclofenac for the treatment of inflammation. In this paper, a sensitive and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method for simultaneous determination of ZLR-8 and its active metabolite diclofenac in the plasma of beagle dogs has been developed and validated. After the addition of ketoprofen as the internal standard (IS), plasma samples were extracted with n-hexane-isopropanol (95:5, v/v) mixture solution and separated by HPLC on a reversed-phase C(18) column with a mobile phase of gradient procedure. Analytes were determined by the UV detector which was set at 280 nm. The method was proved to be sensitive and specific by testing six different plasma batches. Calibration curves of ZLR-8 and diclofenac were linear over the range 0.05-4.0 microg/mL. The within- and between-batch precisions (RSD%) were lower than 10% and accuracy ranged from 85 to 115%. The lower limit of quantification was identifiable and reproducible at 0.05 microg/mL. The proposed method has been readily implemented in preclinical pharmacokinetics studies of ZLR-8 and its active metabolite diclofeance. Representative plasma concentration vs time profiles resulting from administration of ZLR-8 to beagle dogs are presented in this communication.     

Simultaneous determination of tofacitinib and its principal metabolite in beagle dog plasma by UPLC-MS/MS and its application in pharmacokinetics

The main objective of our current study is to develop and validate an accurate and direct ultra performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method to simultaneously detect plasma concentrations of tofacitinib and its metabolite M9, and to study the pharmacokinetic profiles of the two compounds in beagle dogs. After rapid precipitation of protein by adding acetonitrile, the chromatographic separation of tofacitinib was completed, as well as M9 and upadacitinib (internal standard, IS) by using an Acquity BEH C18 (1.7 μm, 2.1 mm × 50 mm) column. A Xevo TQ-S triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer was employed to determine their concentrations under the positive ion pattern. Selective reaction monitoring (SRM) was used with ion transitions at m/z 313.12 → 148.97 for tofacitinib, m/z 329.10 → 137.03 for M9, and m/z 380.95 → 255.97 for IS, respectively. This assay demonstrated excellent linearity, and the ranges of calibration curves for both tofacitinib and M9 were 0.5–400 ng/mL. The new UPLC-MS/MS assay can reach the values (0.5 ng/mL) of lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for both tofacitinib and M9. Both intra-day and inter-day accuracy of all analytes ranged from ?12.0% to 14.3%, while the precision was ≤13.2%. The recovery rate of all analytes was >88.5%, and more importantly there was no conspicuous matrix effect. In addition, the stability was consistent with the quantificative requirements of plasma samples under all conditions. Finally, the assay on UPLC-MS/MS is able to be employed to determine the pharmacokinetic characteristics of tofacitinib and its metabolite M9 in the plasma of beagle dogs after taking orally a dose of tofacitinib at 2 mg/kg.